CHAPTER THIRTEEN: RYAN
Erika walked through the cemeteries, trying to memorise a patrol route that would be easily remembered. She sighed as she looed up at the sky, clouds covering the stars from sight.
It had been a slow night, something that she was extremely grateful for. With Buffy away for the evening, doing something that Erika didn't really understand, but knew was important, Erika had been a little nervous about patrolling by herself. The cemeteries weren't exactly home turf for her yet.
A noise behind her forced her to swivel on the spot, her stake clenched in her fist. She relaxed as she recognised Spike standing behind her. He nodded his head in greeting.
"What are you doing here?" she asked casually.
He pointed to the crypt that she was standing in front of. "I live here pet."
She turned and saw what he was pointing to. It seemed to be fitting that the mysterious vampire lived in the dank mausoleum that stood proudly in the cemetery.
She nodded and turned back to him, unsure of what else to say to him. What exactly do you say to a vampire that you don't know who's not trying to kill you?
"Slow night?" Spike asked.
"Yeah a bit. Probably good though," Erika commented. "With Buffy out for the night, I was a bit worried, but it's been okay."
"Buffy's out? With Rupert?" Spike asked, feigning casualness.
Erika smirked, wondering how okay Spike actually was with the relationship between the Slayer and her Watcher.
"Yeah. Some spiritual quest," she explained.
Spike nodded, vaguely remembering the quest that Buffy had taken the year before, right around the time when he and the Buffybot had been becoming acquainted.
"She trying to find out what she is?" Spike asked, his eyes soft and compassionate.
"Yeah. Uh…that girl…Willow? She ran off last night, and she didn't come back. Haven't seen her all day. Neither has Tara," Erika said.
"Red's done a runner? Can't say that I blame her," Spike said. "Cowardly little chit."
Erika couldn't help but nod her agreement.
"How's the Slayer holding up anyway?" Spike asked.
Erika shrugged. "As well as can be expected I guess. She's not too happy, but…Giles has been really good for her I think."
Spike went to reply but he closed his mouth, listening to the air around him. Erika regarded the vampire curiously, about to question him when she heard movement as well.
She lifted her stake and was only a little surprised to see Spike take a stake from inside of his coat.
She put her back to Spike, trying to listen a little more carefully to her surroundings. She couldn't believe that she hadn't heard someone creep up behind her and throw Spike to the side.
She whirled, stake in her hand. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the gorgeous blue eyes of her Watcher, and she fought the urge to just drop the stake.
"Slayer," he whispered quietly, a grin coming to his face.
With her heart pounding heavily, she took a step back from him, never letting her eyes leave his face.
"You should have known that you can't run from me, my love," he said. He put a cold hand to her cheek, stepping closer to her.
He could hear the erratic breathing and the desperate pounding of her heart, making her blood pump furiously. It was calling to him loudly, a cry for him to have a taste.
He bent his head down to her neck, fully expecting her to let him bite her. She pushed him away from her, tears in her eyes. She pulled out a stake from her jacket pocket, brandishing it between them as a safety device.
"I don't want to hurt you love," he said quietly.
Without warning, he kicked the stake from her hand and quickly grabbed her arms, pinning them to her sides.
"Much," he finished.
She struggled against him, head-butting her former Watcher, forcing him backwards. He grinned at her and pounced.
She hadn't been willing to fight with him in their previous battle, but she was ready now.
She punched him furiously and received a kick to the stomach for her efforts. She stumbled a little, quickly regaining her balance. Her fist shot out and into an upper-cut, throwing him off guard.
He distanced himself from the Slayer and the two began circling each other, waiting for the other to strike. Tired of waiting, she moved first and he blocked her punch, grabbing hold of her fist and pushing her back. He grabbed her by the collar of her jacket, flipping her over the top of him to the ground, knocking the wind out of her.
She gasped for air and managed to roll to the side before his boot came rushing down where her chest had been. She punched the back of his knee forcefully, bringing him to his knees.
Erika jumped to her feet, about to kick his back, but he forward rolled and jumped to his feet, spinning around to face her. She lunged towards him again, throwing a punch.
He easily caught it and threw her backwards, making a tsking sound as he did.
"You're still telegraphing your punches Erika," he said.
She glared at him, hating that the demon was using the quiet voice of her Watcher, using his knowledge of her fighting skills against her. She aimed again and was once more thrown back.
"Don't drop your left," he chastised, hitting her in the face as he did so.
It was so much like their old sparring sessions when he had been training her in the finer skills of the martial arts. But he had died before the training was anywhere near complete, and he had the advantage of years worth of skill and training. What she lacked in skill, however, she made up for in strength, although he now was stronger than he had been when they had first begun to train.
"I saw that coming a mile away," he taunted, easily kicking her in the ribs. She looked up at him breathless, wondering how her Watcher could ever be so cruel.
"Come on love, how do you plan to kill me if you can't even get one good swing?"
She groaned in pain as she felt his fist connect with the side of her face, sending her reeling into a tree, the force of it making her drop her stake. She held onto the bark as though it were a lifeline, and turned her head to the side, spitting out the blood in her mouth.
She felt him stand behind her, pushing her further into the tree, the bark leaving imprints on her face and her palms. He held her wrists tightly, dead air tingling at the back of her neck.
"Who was that man trying to protect you?" he whispered angrily.
She struggled to draw breath as he pushed his entire weight against hers. She couldn't find the breath to answer him, and she felt his hand violently grab her hair and smash her face into the tree. She could feel blood on her forehead and the beginnings of what was going to be a painful headache if she lived.
"Who was he?" he yelled.
She flinched away from his voice and choked out an answer.
"A friend."
He bashed her head against the tree again and she felt herself dangling on the edge of unconsciousness.
"You make friends with vampires now?" he asked. " I thought I taught you better than that."
She shook her head, trying to get away from his angry clutches. He turned her around, still keeping a hold of her hair, yanking it harshly. She whimpered in pain and nearly lost her footing, the tree and his hands the only thing keeping her standing.
She breathed in sharply as she saw her Watcher vamp out and stare at her, breathing in air that he didn't need, obviously trying to calm himself down.
"You're mine love. Not his," he said quietly, his voice soft and threatening. "Understand?"
She swallowed hard, wishing that she could reach the stake on the ground that was only a foot away from where they were standing. He saw her eyes flicker to something behind him and he grabbed her chin, gripping it tightly.
"Look at me!" he yelled. She shrunk away from him, or tried to and felt his fingers digging into her cheek, his nails drawing blood. She whimpered in pain and he smiled at her.
Before she even knew what was happening, his mouth was at her neck, his fangs deeply embedded in her skin, and her blood was being sucked out of her.
From behind him, there was a low growl, distracting him from his Slayer. He pulled away reluctantly and turned around, keeping one hand on Erika's shoulder to keep her from moving.
Spike stood there, stake in his hand.
"You up for a little one-on-one with me, Watcher?" Spike asked quietly.
Ryan growled softly and de-vamped regarding the blonde vampire curiously.
"You trying to protect my Slayer or kill her for yourself?" he asked.
Spike shrugged, smirking a little. "Don't matter really. S'you I wanna fight."
Ryan turned back to Erika, backhanding her hard across the face. She fell to the ground, finally losing consciousness. Ryan turned back to Spike, swiftly picking up Erika's dropped stake.
"So," Ryan began conversationally. "Who are you?"
"Name's Spike," he replied.
Ryan looked vaguely impressed as they began circling each other.
"William the Bloody. Last I heard you were neutered."
"Everything's still in perfect working order," Spike replied. "Against you at any rate."
"Working for the Slayer…heard you were in love with the last one," Ryan accused.
"You're one to talk," Spike shot back.
Ryan gave a small grin and cocked his head. "Yes I suppose you're right," he said. "So…you gonna stop me or just keep circling me?"
"I can't do both?"
"Only one of us is gonna walk away from here tonight," Ryan commented. "So, I'd suggest that you make your move."
Spike shrugged and lunged forward, punching Ryan square in the nose. He followed through with a blow to the cheek, shoving the other vampire to the ground.
Ryan quickly swept Spike to the ground, kicking out at Spike's legs. They simultaneously got to their feet, bouncing on their toes like boxers before trying to catch the other off guard.
Spike had to admit that Ryan was a good fighter. Nowhere near the standard of Buffy, but he was definitely a worthy adversary.
Ryan punched Spike in the gut and elbowed the blonde vampire in the back, forcing him to the ground on his stomach. He kicked Spike's side, rolling him over. Ryan quickly straddled the vampire, ready to thrust the stake into Spike's chest.
Spike braced himself for impact, wishing that he could have at least died at Buffy's hands instead of at the vampire who had only been a vampire for two or three weeks at most. He fought off the urge to close his eyes and stared his death in the face.
Suffice it say, when the figure on top of him crumbled to dust, he hadn't been expecting it.
Spike looked up as the dust began to settle and saw the brown haired Slayer standing above him, tears in her eyes. He felt his heart break for the girl and when she fell to her knees in front of him, Spike gathered her in his arms and held her as she sobbed.